JAM; I think you are correct. But also, so is truecadet22. Our country was not founded under god, so much as it was founded with one of the principals being freedom of religion as well as freedom of no religion. In other words, a country where the government was not aligned with a national church. Thus, forcing their religious beliefs upon the citizenry.
However, truecadet22 is correct in the premise that many of our founding fathers did in fact have a faith in god. And their faith most definitely affected their moral choices and what later on would become social norms and a societal value system.
But the main premise was that citizens could worship and believe any way they wanted to, or not at all, in a supreme being; god; or other form of purpose of existence. And that the government could not endorse or mandate any one particular belief over another. But most definitely, our founders, as well as every other person on the planet, is affected by their beliefs. Their beliefs affect their choices, decisions, and recommendations every day. There is no way to get around that.
It is important that all religions or beliefs (That don't infringe on the rights of others) are given a forum in which they can exercise their rights. I do believe however that sometimes political correctness is a problem. Then again, I think political correctness has been one of the biggest contributors to our declining social system, thus increasing crime, poverty, and other social issues. The government needs to ensure that while offering the opportunity for individuals to exercise their right to worship or practice a faith, that they don't diminish another faith in the process. I.e/E.g A "Christmas Tree" is in fact a representation of "Christmas". It is NOT a "Holiday Tree". The proper way to include other beliefs and religions would be to promote their icons, such as a menorah. You don't "Neuter" one belief to make it even with another belief. You allow the additional beliefs to rise. But this is political correctness and government officials. There are some things our government is very good at. Such as the military, foreign affairs, inter-state commerce, etc... However, political correctness and other social issues are things the government has totally screwed up and made worse. They do control social growth a lot more than many people want to realize.
And that is something that some posters here have eluded to. While the government shouldn't endorse 1 religion or belief over another, totally neutering a religion or belief is the same thing as endorsing "atheism" which by many atheists is "Their Belief". Which many atheists have argued that they should be given the same respect as other religions. So in their attempt to be politically correct, and try to not promote one belief or religion over another, they actually have promoted one over the other. It is definitely a tricky circumstance. I'm glad the academy has made a forum for non-traditional beliefs and religions to exercise their right. I just hope they don't get into the business of neutering any particular belief or religion, in their attempt to balance them. What were we taught growing up? "2 Wrongs, Don't make a Right".
